Cultural Competence

Immigrant parents, on the other hand, often come from cultures where the proper role of a concerned parent is noninterventionist in nature (Bhachu, 1985). Parents from such backgrounds believe they should not intervene in the school’s business or question the teacher’s practices and expertise. Garcia found that most Hispanic parents felt parent intervention constituted interference in the affairs of the school (1990).

United States educators often do not understand that parents can actually place a very high value on education while not having a high degree of engagement with the school. While parents from diverse cultural backgrounds may not demonstrate the expected degree of engagement with the school according to middle class standards, they can show that they value and support their children’s learning in other ways,” (McCollum, p 2) such as making sure children attend school.

Another reason for misunderstandings between parents and educators from different cultural backgrounds is parents’ lack of understanding of the educational system in the United States. “They do not understand that they are expected to interact with schools in certain ways in order to demonstrate that they value education and want their children to learn. Parents who themselves often have had very little formal education, entrust their children to the schools and the experts whom they feel know better than they how to educate their children.” (McCollum, p 3)

Since one effective strategy for increasing student achievement is encouraging families to support their children’s learning at home (Henderson and Mapp, p 7) and because No Child Left Behind requires a parent involvement plan for identified schools, many schools are developing such plans. Students in Iowa increasingly come to school from a variety of family backgrounds that may differ in many ways. In order to develop effective plans that will appeal to all families and produce results, educators and community team members need to become aware of their own beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement as well as those of the parents they are seeking to involve. (Ferrer, p 1)

Trail states that “Individual educators must appoint themselves as experts in their own districts and schools, working to build awareness and gather information about the impact of diversity that they deal with on a daily basis. Dr. Harold (Bud) Hodgkinson, director of the Center for Demographic Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, says, ‘teachers and administrators must first understand what kinds of diversity are important to them to understand [because it] has an impact in their schools. In many cases, the race of a student matters less than the country of origin, the parents’ educational level, or the socioeconomic status of a child.’” (Trail, p.2) As parents involved on leadership teams in the school as well as parents of students learning with and about students of other cultures, it is important to understand and honor the diversity within your school.

The National Education Association’s initiative to create great public schools for every child identifies as its first strategy the enhancing of cultural competence, which includes increasing the cultural competence of all involved in the school. (NCPIE, p 5). The National Association for the Education of Young Children made a specific recommendation in their 1995 position paper, “Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity—Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education,” regarding the preparation of early childhood educators in the areas of culture, language, and diversity. The Association recommended that early childhood educators be prepared to “understand and appreciate their own cultural and linguistic background; reflect on how their cultural background affects how they interact with children and families; and understand the languages and cultural background of the children and families they serve.” (Hepburn, p. 115) This is just as important for us as parents.

Henderson and Mapp, in their 2002 synthesis of research on parent involvement, state that high performing schools “recognize, respect, and address families’ needs, as well as class and cultural difference.” (Henderson and Mapp, p 7)

 Parents/Families should ask their school...

• What are my own beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement? How does my own cultural background affect how I interact with the children with whom my own child learns and plays and with their families?
  
  
• What are other parents’ beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement? How to the languages and cultural background of the children and their families impact how they interact with me and my child?

 Teachers/Caregivers should ask...

• What are my own beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement? How does my own cultural background affect how I interact with children and families?
  
  
• What are the parents’ beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement? How to the languages and cultural background of the children and their families impact how they interact with me and the school?

 Administrators should ask...

• What are my own beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement? How does my own cultural background affect how I interact with children and families in our school?
  
  
• What are the parents’ beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement? How to the languages and cultural background of the children and their families impact how they interact with me, their teachers, and the school?
  
  
• How have I helped our teachers recognize their own beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding parent involvement? How does their cultural background affect how they interact with the students and families in our school?

Parents/Families should...

• Become involved in the building’s leadership team responsible for the parent involvement action plan. One of the first tasks of the team will be to study how the cultures influence the families’ perceptions of how they can be involved in their children’s education and what the research says are effective parent involvement strategies for increasing student achievement.
  
  
• Learn about the cultures of students and families in your school. There are many ways to learn about other cultures including reading about the culture and talking and working with individuals from the culture. “In addition to books, magazines, biographies, local newspapers, community bulletins, etc., today’s electronic age allows sharing across the Internet, television, films, and video. Talking and working with individuals from the cultural group can support a more direct and open exchange of information with opportunities to ‘check-out’ one’s understanding of the meaning of beliefs, values, practices, customs, rituals, and events.” (Lynch and Hanson, 1998 in Hepburn, p 41) The Grey and Hepburn books referenced in the resources contain questions that you and other members of the leadership team can use to guide the study of different cultures and to reflect on your own cultural heritage and values and beliefs regarding parent involvement.
  
  
• Develop a set of questions in advance of talking with the teachers and families whose children attend your school. Hopefully, some will also be members of the leadership team so everyone can learn and plan together. However, there will probably be some parents who will not join the group, so reaching them will be important. The questions in the list of resources and tools are examples. One-on-one conversations and/or small group discussions will probably work best rather than asking parents to make presentations or be part of a panel. Beth – you could link to the left of this paragraph the sample questions – see description below and questions included as separate document.
  
  Consider, during these conversations, providing information to families as well as seeking it. For example, explain what you expect your students to learn at school. Share how you are involved in your children’s education. Talk about daily schedules and routines, behavioral expectations, attendance at school, study routines at home, etc.
  
  
• Participate in writing the plan. After the group has completed their study of culture and effective family involvement strategies that lead to increased student achievement, you will all be prepared to write an effective plan. Be sure to promote the individualization of family involvement to meet the needs of the families in your child’s school, just as you want the school to individualize for your child in the classroom.

Teachers/Caregivers should...

• Form a group to write a family involvement plan. One of the first tasks of the group should be to study how the cultures influence the families’ perceptions of how they can be involved in their children’s education and what the research says are effective parent involvement strategies for increasing student achievement. Invite faculty, parents, and if possible, a “cultural broker” or mediator to be part of the group. “A ‘cultural broker’ is one who bridges two cultures and can offer insights and knowledge where two cultures diverge and intersect.” (Lynch and Hanson, 1998 in Hepburn, p 41).
  
  
• Learn about the cultures of students and families in your school. There are many ways to learn about other cultures including reading about the culture and talking and working with individuals from the culture. “In addition to books, magazines, biographies, local newspapers, community bulletins, etc., today’s electronic age allows sharing across the Internet, television, films, and video. Talking and working with individuals from the cultural group can support a more direct and open exchange of information with opportunities to ‘check-out’ one’s understanding of the meaning of beliefs, values, practices, customs, rituals, and events.” (Lynch and Hanson, 1998 in Hepburn, p 41) The Grey and Hepburn books referenced in the resources contain questions group members can use to guide their study of different cultures and to reflect on their own cultural heritage and values and beliefs regarding parent involvement.
  
  
• Develop a set of questions in advance of talking with the families whose children attend your school. Hopefully, some will be members of the group so everyone can learn and plan together. However, there will probably be some parents who will not join the group, so reaching them will be important. The questions in the list of resources and tools are examples. One-on-one conversations and/or small group discussions will probably work best rather than asking parents to make presentations or be part of a panel. Beth – you could link to the left of this paragraph the sample questions – see description below and questions included as separate document.
  
  Consider, during these conversations, providing information to families as well as seeking it. For example, explain how Iowa schools are alike or different from the schools the parents attended. Talk about daily schedules and routines, behavioral expectations, attendance, grading and discipline policies, expectations for parent involvement and so on.
  
  
• Write the plan. After the group has completed their study of culture and effective family involvement strategies that lead to increased student achievement, you will be prepared to write an effective plan. Be sure to individualize the family involvement to meet the needs of the families you serve, just as you individualize for the students in your classroom.

Administrators should...

• Form a group to write a family involvement plan. Seek to make it reflective of your school’s community. One of the first tasks of the group should be to study how the various cultures influence the families’ perceptions of how they can be involved in their children’s education and what the research says are effective parent involvement strategies for increasing student achievement. Invite faculty, parents, and if possible, a “cultural broker” or mediator to be part of the group. “A ‘cultural broker’ is one who bridges two cultures and can offer insights and knowledge where two cultures diverge and intersect.” (Lynch and Hanson, 1998 in Hepburn, p 41).
  
  
• Learn about the cultures of students and families in your school. There are many ways to learn about other cultures including reading about the culture and talking and working with individuals from the culture. “In addition to books, magazines, biographies, local newspapers, community bulletins, etc., today’s electronic age allows sharing across the Internet, television, films, and video. Talking and working with individuals from the cultural group can support a more direct and open exchange of information with opportunities to ‘check-out’ one’s understanding of the meaning of beliefs, values, practices, customs, rituals, and events.” (Lynch and Hanson, 1998 in Hepburn, p 41) The Grey and Hepburn books referenced in the resources contain questions you and other group members can use to guide the study of different cultures and to reflect on your and their own cultural heritage and values and beliefs regarding parent involvement.
  
  
• Develop a set of questions in advance of talking with the families whose children attend your school. Hopefully, some will be members of the group so everyone can learn and plan together. However, there will probably be some parents who will not join the group, so reaching them will be important. The questions in the list of resources and tools are examples. One-on-one conversations and/or small group discussions will probably work best rather than asking parents to make presentations or be part of a panel. Beth – you could link to the left of this paragraph the sample questions – see description below and questions included as separate document.
  
  Consider, during these conversations, providing information to families as well as seeking it. For example, explain how Iowa schools are alike or different from the schools the parents attended. Talk about daily schedules and routines, behavioral expectations, attendance, grading and discipline policies, expectations for parent involvement and so on.
  
  
• Write the plan. After the group has completed their study of culture and effective family involvement strategies that lead to increased student achievement, you will be prepared to write an effective plan. Be sure to individualize the family involvement to meet the needs of the families you serve, just as you individualize for the students in your school.